The present invention relates to a method for automatic energy control and savings estimation of duty cycled, electrical energy-consuming heating, ventilating, air conditioning and/or refrigeration equipment using sensor data, including compressor and/or gas-, oil-, and propane-fired heating equipment with or without blowers controlled via electrically powered control systems. The present invention also relates to an electronic controller for implementing such methods and heating, ventilating, air conditioning, and refrigeration equipment systems incorporating such an electronic controller.
Many electrical energy customers nowadays are interested in options that would allow them to take more control over their energy use and reduce costs thereof without requiring extensive continuous monitoring and manual interventions by the customer with respect to the operation of power-using equipment. Since it typically is costly and/or impractical to store electricity on site to fully support normal operations, especially for many commercial and industrial energy users, the use of electricity usually is made on demand from a utility's power grid. Electrical energy billing can vary depending on type of customer and specific contract, but there are some common elements. In most cases, electricity usage is metered at the customer's site and the customer may be charged in two ways by a utility. One charge is based on total consumption of electricity during a billing cycle, usually one month, and another charge is the peak demand, which is based on the highest capacity or peak intensity required by the customer during that same billing cycle. Since commercial and industrial users can have significant variance in both consumption and demand, these charges are often broken out for them as part of their rate structure. Total consumption for a billing cycle is measured in kWh, and demand is measured in kilowatts (kW). The consumption component of the customer's energy bill can be calculated by multiplying the utility's consumption rate (price per kWh) times the kWh of the customer's consumption during the billing cycle. Electrical demand is the maximum flow of electricity used at any one time by a customer measured in kilowatts (kW). The demand charge is calculated as the product of the utility's demand charge rate (cost/kW) times the peak demand (kW) for the billing cycle. Demand charge often applies to commercial, industrial, and agricultural customers, and usually not to residential customers (unless, for example, it is shared for a service area). The calculated charges for the consumption component and any demand component for a billing cycle are combined in the customer's energy bill for the billing period. Heating, ventilating, air conditioning and/or refrigeration (“HVACR” or “HVAC&R”) control systems can be a significant contributor to a customer's power usage during a billing cycle.
HVAC&R control systems have been designed to perform two major functions: temperature regulation and dehumidification. Compressors and blowers used in these systems typically operate with electrically-powered motors. Increased focus on carbon footprint and green technologies has led to numerous energy related improvements, including more efficient refrigerants, variable speed compressors and fans, cycle modifications, and more efficient burners. Nevertheless, as electrical energy costs continue to increase in many markets and energy conservation becomes increasingly important, a need remains for innovations that can be applied to HVAC&R equipment in new as well as existing systems that can assist energy users in estimating savings from energy control options.
It would be desirable to provide original and/or retrofittable use energy control and savings estimation for cooling/refrigeration compressors and/or heating/cooling blowers, including those used in HVAC&R systems, which can provide energy-control and savings focused control over the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) specifications, presettings, manual resettings, and/or installer judgment.